The Damned United 2009

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Sheen is wonderful. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: [Sheen is] dazzling here, finally cut loose. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Quite enjoyable, even for those of us who don't follow British "football." Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: While there's plenty of action, much of it satisfyingly wet and muddy, the reason to watch this film is its splendid cast. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: At this point, the Morgan/Sheen roadshow may have finally run its course, but together they have a knack for understanding the recent past through men who are crafty and irreducible, usually despite all appearances to the contrary. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: Vile, hateful and undeniably funny. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: While it's true that a couple of the characters are vivid creations, it's hard to glean what else Morgan sees in this story, which he adapted from a novel by David Peace, besides a showcase for Sheen. Mostly, that's enough. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Though his notoriously big mouth often got him into trouble, Clough is a great character for Sheen to play because his personal charm invariably -- but not always -- got him out of the difficulty. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: [Michael Sheen] adds to his gallery of public figures (Tony Blair, David Frost) with a sharp performance here as the legendary UK soccer coach Brian Clough. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The Damned United is a thoughtful and entertaining study on the perils of ambition that has little to do with soccer and a lot to do with being human. Well-played. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: The great cast includes Timothy Spall as the assistant manager, Colm Meaney as Clough's nemesis, and Jim Broadbent as a sports exec who'd make George Steinbrenner nervous. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Just as a great player can take an average team to surprising heights, Michael Sheen turns an ordinary sports movie into an unexpected winner. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: As the two coaches head for a faceoff in a climactic live TV interview, writer Morgan starts to seem like a rip-off -- of himself. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: The Damned United is a most entertaining study in obsession wrapped in a traditional sports movie. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The enigma of Brian Clough has long fascinated British fans. The Dammed United offers no easy explanation, but plunges into the mysteries of the personality. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Those who give it a whirl will discover a delightfully comic and sympathetic portrayal of British life in the hardscrabble, ciggies-and-lager '70s. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Like a tense World Cup match, there's a lack of scoring, but it is still riveting. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Two things that the British know that most Americans don't: Michael Sheen is the best actor in the English-speaking world; and soccer is the only football that matters. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Like a skill player who just can't score, The Damned United is all dazzle and no finish and, ultimately, damned frustrating. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Sheen's performance is controlled fury, barely touching ground as he presents Clough as being the very picture of a delusional fool. Read more

Dave Calhoun, Time Out: The biggest failure is the film's portrayal of the Leeds team: the oddly-coiffured lads are never more than a unit and the calamity of Clough's time in charge too much of a given. Read more

Christopher Orr, The New Republic: One of [its] primary pleasures...is that, in choosing a topic as narrow and parochial as the fate of an English soccer club, Morgan has relieved himself of any duty to persuade us that the events he describes are of world-historical import. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: What vaults the film above the standard sports movie is the stellar performance by Michael Sheen. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: There's hardly more than five minutes of actual ball-kicking onscreen, and what's there is mostly seamlessly stitched-in archival footage. Diehard fans may actually feel shortchanged by the strategy. But it makes for more accessible drama. Read more

Chuck Wilson, Village Voice: These actors are good at what they do -- like those soccer players that dodge and weave with effortless grace. Read more